Young's Funeral Home hosts coat drive to benefit veterans and their families

January inspires a fresh start and a purge of the old. It's also cold. If the combo has you thinking about a new coat, consider donating the old one.

Young's Funeral Home in Tigard has organized "Outerwear for Others," a cold-weather garment drive that assists area veterans. "We tried to think of something we could do to touch our community," said Young's general manager, Kelly McFarland.

Partnering with the Salvation Army, McFarland set up the drive to collect new and gently used outerwear. "They don't sell it in their stores," he said. "Everything is donated to veterans and families."

The second annual effort hopes to best last year's 2,077 pieces. McFarland is looking for 3,000 coats, hats, gloves, sweatshirts and anything else that will help cut the bitter cold for homeless veterans and their families. "Men's large sizes are especially needed," he says. "But we need teddy bears, too."

The Salvation Army's Veterans and Family Center, a transitional center for veterans and their families, will receive the donation at the end of February. While outerwear warms the body, a new teddy bear will warm the smallest affected by change.

"Someday in the future," McFarland said, "we hope to challenge the greater Portland area to go coatless for a day."